Selena Gomez will return to the Disney Channel next year in a special episode for the acclaimed series, Wizards of Waverly Place.
Selena Gomez will be returning to the Disney Channel and her former show Wizards of Waverly Place in early 2013. However, while Disney and fans may be excited to see Gomez return, in an interview this past summer with Radio Disney the starlet reveals that she made the choice to return because she was not quite ready to say goodbye and is said to be as elated as anyone else to return to the network for this very special project.
Selena Gomez will be returning to the airwaves of the Disney Channel sometime early next year and will star in a special Wizards of Waverly Place movie.
Gomez will reprise her role as the spirited Alex Russo and will be reunited with her Wizards of Waverly Place co-stars Jake T. Austin, David DeLuise, María Canals Barrera and Jennifer Stone.
Production on the film began late last month in Los Angeles and wrapped up on November 9. The film will premiere on the Disney Channel in early 2013.
In the new one hour special titled, “The Wizards Return: Alex versus Alex,” the Russo family and friend, Harper (Stone) travel to Tuscany, Italy, to meet their long-lost relatives, but Alex (Gomez) is rendered spellbound when she tries to prove that she's more than a seemingly carefree young wizard and inadvertently casts a spell that creates a "Good" Alex and "Evil" Alex.
“Good” Alex is then forced to step in and save her family and humankind from the “Evil” Alex's plot of world domination, culminating in an epic battle between the two versions of herself atop the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Besides staring in the telepic, Gomez is also its executive producer.
It’s extremely rare for a retired Disney Channel starlet to return to the network after the series (and thus her contract) has concluded. The fact that Gomez was allowed to return is a testament to the good relationship she has (and continues to maintain) with Disney as well as her maintaining a favorable public image almost a year after her departure from the network.
In returning to Disney it is clear that Gomez has not forgotten where she came from. Her charisma as well as her loyalty to the Disney Channel, the Wizards of Waverly Place franchise and her co-stars and fans will only further boost her image as a highly successful but grounded young woman.
Whereas some past Disney Channel starlets have been eager to move on and never look back, Gomez actually wanted to return to the network and was elated when Disney executives green-lighted production for the Wizards of Waverly Place film.
In fact, Gomez revealed to various entertainment news outlets that her voice was the loudest in pushing for a new Wizards of Waverly Place film and her return to the network.
In a special interview on Radio Disney, Gomez revealed that she was still fond of the Disney Channel and was not quite ready for the relationship to end:
I'm working on my new record and I had great projects I was a part of this year, but 'Wizards' and Disney Channel and everything that is a part of this is my home. I’m not ready for it to be over, so I just kind of want to do one more thing.
She goes on to say of the new Wizards of Waverly Place TV film:
I wanted to do it really badly. I want to make sure I promise the cast and the fans a really, really good hour-long event that they can enjoy and will leave them feeling good.
Gomez says that she plans to give her fans an extremely enjoyable reunion.
Apparently, viewers of the Disney Channel were also not prepared to say good-bye to the Wizards of Waverly Place series and Gomez‘s role on the show.
Gary Marsh, Disney Channel's worldwide chief creative officer released a public statement in which he said, "With the phenomenal ratings of the 'Wizards' finale earlier this year, it became clear that fans of the series were not ready to say goodbye to Selena or the rest of the 'Wizards' cast.” He added, "As such, we're thrilled that the cast has agreed to reunite to bring their fans one last grand adventure."
The Wizards of Waverly Place series finale which aired this past January shattered records as the most watched episode in the history of the Disney Channel.
At least 11.3 million viewers tuned in for the historic finale easily making it the most-watched cable telecast among scripted programs last TV season.
Wizards of Waverly Place has long been the flagship series of the Disney Channel network and remains one of the most successful series in the history of that network.
Despite the fact that the series ended its four season run earlier this year, Wizards of Waverly Place remains immensely popular.
The 2012 year in particular has been a highly successful for Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place and the Disney Channel. Wizards of Waverly Place won the Emmy for “Outstanding Children’s Series” at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards. The 2012 Emmy win marks the third straight year that the acclaimed Disney Channel series has taken home that prestigious award.
In what likely left many Nickelodeon executives grinding their teeth in frustration, Selena Gomez won the "Favorite TV Actress" award at the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards (enemy territory if you a Disney Channel starlet) this past September. Viewers and fans of that network threw loyalty out of the window when they voted for the Disney Channel starlet to receive the award over a host of Nickelodeon starlets that included such superstars as Miranda Cosgrove, and the ever charismatic pop and rock superstar Victoria Justice.
It was the fourth year in a row that Gomez has won the award.
All is also currently well on the romance front as the relationship between Gomez and her pop star boyfriend, Justin Bieber, is on the mend after experiencing some extreme turbulence.
The couple briefly called it quits in late October due to the stress of their “crazy schedules” and Bieber’s flirting with Victoria Secret models.
During a November 16th dinner at Japanese eatery Yamato in Encino, California, rather than reconcile the two had a shouting match before finally storming out of the restaurant.
However, both Gomez and Bieber were spotted two days later backstage together at the American Music Awards. It is said that Gomez showed up at the event to show support for Bieber who was nominated for several awards (and who would actually go on to sweep the event that night, winning numerous awards) despite the fact that the two were not on speaking terms.
While the couple did not make a public appearance together at the awards show, they appear to have smoothed things over at an after-party at Bootsy Bellows in West Hollywood hosted by Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, who held the celebration in honor of the "Boyfriend" crooner's unprecedented sweep of the event.
Gomez and Bieber were reported to have had a very private and romantic dinner for two at a hidden table in a backroom while embracing and kissing most of the night.
However, Bieber’s management team and handlers have reportedly expressed some rather severe misgivings over the relationship.
Gomez is also set to give her good girl image a bit of a tweak in the upcoming action-comedy film “Spring Breakers.”
Earlier this summer, the singer-actress told MTV News, "People will be a little shocked, I think. I'm a little nervous about it, but honestly, it's a right step for me, I'm really proud of it.” She went on to say, "I think as an actress it really challenged me. All of the other actresses are also trying to prove themselves, so it was just really, really fun."
The film which is due to be released sometime in late 2013 co-stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine.
Gomez is also currently in the studios working on her fourth record. She has already recorded five new songs for the album.
Despite the fact that there is over a month left before 2012 officially ends, 2013 is already shaping up to be yet another momentous year for pop culture sensation Selena Gomez.
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